Dear praying family,

The snow has been coming down all night. Since we aren’t going anywhere I have an opportunity to start a prayer letter! Most of us remember a time when snow was exciting, and a day off from school was a ticket to freedom. Snow was a special treat for my siblings and I since we only got one legitimate winter every fifth year. I didn’t have many snow days growing up. In fact, my high school in Lima had only one day off that I can remember. A dozen students and teachers were afflicted with some bug and since we only had 40-50 students in the school, the principal gave us a “snow” day. Now don’t think that we don’t have snow in Peru. You CAN play in the snow . . . you just have to climb a glacier at 15,000 feet (on top of the Andes mountains)! There isn’t much precipitation to speak of in the driest dessert of the world. Since Lima is right on the ocean, there were a handful of days when we had a little sprinkle of rain when we arrived at school.

In spite of the inclement weather, we are praising God for safety on the roads. We have had no cancellations and God has continued to bless our time in churches. God has given us a wonderful privilege. The lengthy travel that accompanies most missionaries’ ministries presents special challenges. But one of the great benefits is the opportunity to worship with many different brothers and sisters of like faith within God’s family. The breadth of our experience within the global church begins here in the U.S. I am finding that God is lifting the eyes of the American church and making us increasingly aware of the rest of the body. It seems that every church we visit has several members who have participated in global ministry. What a privilege we have to glimpse a vision similar to John’s in Revelation when he saw a multitude of tribulation saints from “all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”

God continues to provide through His people. We are now at 28% of our monthly support! Our goal is to reach 50% this summer, 75% by Christmas, and 100% by summer of 2004. I plan to complete the coursework for an M.Div. at Baptist Bible Seminary while we are visiting churches and raising support. Angela continues to work as a nurse. A recent answer to prayer is that she passed her state nursing boards and is now a registered nurse. We are looking forward to seeing how God continues to prepare and grow us during this time. Pray with us that we will be ready to leave in 15 months!

We are planning a trip to Peru in May. The ABWE missionaries in Lima will be spending three days in a strategic 10 year planning session. (Hopefully the planning session itself will only last 3 days!) Since we will be joining that team soon, we plan to participate in the planning. The trip will also provide a much needed opportunity to reconnect with our Peruvian family.

Please pray . . .

1. For a committed prayer team.
2. For a financial support base.
3. For personal endurance and safety as we travel and for profitable ministry in churches.
4. For diligence, balance, and for us to maintain our priorities.
5. For personal growth – that we would learn exactly what God intends for us to learn through the experiences He is giving us and that He would develop His character in us.

Schedule of Meetings

Recent Meetings
1/12/03 Northmoreland Baptist Church. Falls, PA.
1/19/03 Forest Lake Baptist Church. Montrose, PA.
1/26/03 West Bainbridge Baptist Church. West Bainbridge, NY.
2/2/03 Mehoopany Baptist Church. Mehoopany, PA.
2/9/03 West Windsor Baptist Church. Windsor, NY.
2/23/03 First Baptist Church. Port Crane, NY

Coming Meetings
3/9/03 South Clinton Baptist Church. Lake Ariel, PA.
3/16-3/19 Springville Baptist Church. Springville, PA.
3/23/03 Brooklyn Baptist Church. Brooklyn, NY.
4/13/03 Christian Baptist Church. Sherburne, NY.

Because of His grace,

Jonathan and Angela Stone
2 Lithia Valley Apt.
Factoryville, PA 18419

570-945-7616
jastone@abweperu.org

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